Helping a Student in Distress

When observing potential signs of distress in a student, pay particular attention to notable changes in the student’s behavior, performance, mood, and appearance. Any one of the following indicators alone does not necessarily suggest the student is experiencing distress. However, together they may indicate the student needs or may be asking for help. Follow your intuition. If something feels “off” you are most likely right and further exploration is warranted.

Academic

○ Repeated lateness and/or absences from class
○ Repeated requests for accommodations such as deadline extensions
○ Repeated missed assignments
○ Decreased participation in class
○ Written work that includes themes of violence, death, or despair
○ Marked change in the quality of work or music-making
○ Repeated missed rehearsals or performances

Behavioral

○ Sudden changes in dress, hygiene, or appearance
○ Appearing depressed or slowed
○ Tearfulness or unusual emotional reactions
○ Social withdrawal
○ Physiological signs of anxiety, including shakiness or muscle tension, that may interfere with music-making
○ Disruptive or aggressive behavior
○ Alterations in speech: Speaking very quickly or slowly; Disorganized or unintelligible speech
○ Inappropriate electronic communications

Emergency:

Students in an emergency situation can include the following:
○ The student has harmed themself or others and there is a need for emergency medical attention.
○ The student is making extreme threats to harm themself or others.
○ The student is intoxicated and behaving erratically, or is non-responsive.

Please immediately call 911 or Yale Police (203-432-4400).

Urgent:

The following are warning signs of a more urgent situation in which immediate intervention may be necessary.
○ Signs of physical injury such as cuts, bruises, or burns
○ Verbalizing hopelessness about the future
○ Verbalizing suicidal or homicidal thoughts

Moderately urgent:

Students may be reluctant to, emotionally unable to, or uncertain of how to ask for help. A student may show signs of distress but is unclear how serious it is. Behaviors may include:
○ Repeated requests for accommodations, such as deadline extensions
○ New signs of hyperactivity (e.g., unable to sit still, difficulty maintaining focus, gives the impression of going “too fast,” appears agitated)
○ Signs of depression (e.g., appears emotionless or lethargic, weight change, looks exhausted or complains of sleeping concerns, displays feelings of worthlessness or self-hatred, is apathetic about previous interests)
○ Deteriorating academic performance (e.g., incapacitating test anxiety, sporadic class attendance, extended absences from class).

Non-urgent:

Students in mild distress may exhibit behaviors where the safety of the student or others does not seem to be in jeopardy but may indicate something is wrong and that assistance is warranted. Behaviors may include:
○ Decline in coursework or grades; Excessive absences, especially after prior consistent attendance
○ Unusual or markedly changed patterns of interaction (e.g., goes from being actively involved to quiet and withdrawn, or goes from being quiet to more agitated or demanding)
○ Peers have expressed concern.

School of Music Mental Health Counselor

YSM offer mental health counseling support for students through our Embedded Mental Health Counselor, Arielle Rubenstein, Ph.D. Students can schedule drop-in therapy appointments during her appointment hours. Dr. Rubenstein offers brief therapy (up to 6 sessions) and support in accessing Yale’s mental health resources, including long-term therapy. Counseling services are confidential and HIPAA-compliant.

Please note that Dr. Rubenstein does not offer emergency or crisis services. For urgent matters, any student can ask to speak to the on-call clinician, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at Yale Mental Health & Counseling by calling 203-432-0290.

The Chaplain's Office

Chaplains from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions are available for confidential support and care. Students often talk to chaplains about grief, adjusting to graduate school, building and maintaining relationships, vocation, and more. You do not need to identify as religious/spiritual to speak with a chaplain. Call 203.432.1128 to make an appointment or feel free to reach out to any of the chaplains by email. You can also sign up directly to Chat with a Chaplain here. Chaplains are available Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm.

Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility

The Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA) is responsible for ensuring Yale’s commitment to equitable and inclusive working and learning environments. OIEA encourages any student, faculty member, staff member, or applicant for employment or programs at Yale who is concerned about discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to report their concern to the office.

Title IX & SHARE

If you would like to talk with someone about sex- or gender- based discrimination including sexual misconduct, you can reach out to a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. Additionally, the Title IX at Yale website provides information on accessing support, reporting options, policies and definitions; and education and outreach including resources for pregnant and parenting students. In addition, SHARE, the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Education Center, is located on the lower level of the Yale Health Center and provides professional help to members of the Yale community who wish to discuss any experience of sexual misconduct involving themselves or someone they care about. SHARE has resources available for medical and health issues, as well as 24/7 counseling services.

Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the Yale School of Music is Albert Lee, who can be contacted at albert.r.lee@yale.edu.

The Good Life Center

The Good Life Center is the official student wellness center of Yale University, offering space for wellness-related meetups, peer-to-peer support. The Center seeks to empower students with evidence-based skills for fostering mental, physical, social and emotional well-being.